Vice President for Student Affairs

The Vice President for Student Affairs serves as the senior Student Affairs officer for Truman State University and reports directly to the President. The Vice President serves as primary advisor to the President on issues relating to student life at Truman and is the primary liaison and advocate for student interests, needs and concerns with parents, faculty, staff, administrators and community members.

Student Affairs at Truman provides a wide variety of programs, services, facilities, and activities to the campus community that promotes the safety and holistic development of students. The Vice President is a trusted member of the senior administration and plays a key role in further integrating student and academic life, enhancing efforts to build a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community and developing innovative and impactful programming.

The Vice President assumes primary responsibility for the strategic vision, resource management, long-range planning and overall supervision and administration of personnel in student affairs at Truman which includes the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards, the Student Union and the Center for Student Involvement, Student Recreation Center, Disability Services, Career Center, University Counseling Services, Student Health Center, Residence Life, Multicultural Affairs Center, Greek Life, Serve Center and the Interfaith Center. In addition, the Vice President oversees the budgets and expenditures of Student Senate, Funds Allotment Council, and the Student Activities Board. The Vice President is responsible for the food service and bookstore contracts at Truman. The Vice President also oversees the students of concern committee, the leave of absence for personal reasons program, and the academic coaching program for students returning from medical withdrawals.

Qualifications: Required qualifications include 8-10 years of progressive and successful student services and administrative experience/leadership in Student Affairs administration in a four year higher education institution; an earned doctorate from an accredited institution (a master’s degree with appropriate experience may be considered); demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity; demonstrated advocacy for the needs and holistic development of all students; demonstrated ability and experience in dealing successfully with multiple types of student crises; demonstrated knowledge of contemporary best practices and higher education trends; and the highest level of personal integrity and authentic rapport with all members of the campus community.

Other desirable qualifications include experience in the management of multiple areas within the department of Student Affairs; experience in risk assessment and intervention with student mental health concerns; training or certification in the area of academic coaching; and experience with student conduct administration.

The University: A vibrant community of teacher-scholars involved with an academically-talented student body, Truman is a residential university providing its approximately 6,000 students with broad liberal arts experiences and study-in-depth in 52 undergraduate majors and graduate degrees in 8 programs. Most students have leadership experience and over 45 percent will enter graduate or professional education within a year of graduation.

Truman is nationally recognized for the quality of educational opportunities that it offers to students and for its leadership in the assessment of student learning and continuous improvement. Truman, Missouri’s only public liberal arts and sciences university, has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for 20 years in a row as the no. 1 Public University in the Midwest Regional category. The 2016 Washington Monthly ranks Truman as the no. 1 Masters’ University in the United States. More information about Truman State University can be found at http://www.truman.edu.

The Community: Located in Kirksville, Truman plays a vital role in the thriving regional center of northeast Missouri. The city enjoys a low crime rate, excellent schools, and low cost of living. Within a few minutes’ drive, a broad range of outdoor recreational opportunities is easily accessible. Kirksville is connected to St. Louis (STL) by Cape Air (https://www.capeair.com). Amtrak operates the Southwest Chief on daily schedules from La Plata (13 miles from Kirksville) to Chicago, Kansas City, and points southwest to Los Angeles. A. T. Still University maintains dental and medical schools in Kirksville. More information about Kirksville can be found at http://visitkirksville.com.

Application: Submit a letter of application, resume, copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts, contact information for three references, and a one page philosophy statement regarding the role of Student Affairs at a public liberal arts and sciences institution online at http://employment.truman.edu or to:

For best consideration, please apply by September 28, 2017. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. The desired start date for the position is January, 2018.

In compliance with federal law and applicable Missouri statutes, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, age, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in admission to or employment in its education programs or activities. Truman State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity.